Ukrainian Cinema:
Lights, Camera, Revolution!
The history of Ukrainian cinema is rich and turbulent, reflecting the broader historical, cultural, and political currents of Ukraine itself. From its early beginnings at the turn of the 20th century through long periods of suppression and revival, Ukrainian cinema has emerged as a vibrant and unique component of global film culture. Here’s a deeper look into some key aspects of Ukrainian cinema’s journey.
Every year on the second Saturday of September, Ukrainians congratulate cinematographers on their holiday. The Day of Ukrainian Cinema received the status of an official state holiday in 1996, according to a Presidential Decree issued “in support of the initiative of cinematography workers of Ukraine.”
The first Ukrainian film shooting took place in September 1896 in Kharkiv, where photographer Alfred Fedetsky filmed several chronicle subjects. By December, Fedetsky had organized the first Ukrainian film screening at the Kharkiv Opera House. Officially, the history of the film industry on a large scale began in 1895 at the “Grand Café” in Paris with the first ten short films by the Lumière brothers. Yet, this screening was not the world’s first: two years earlier, in 1893, Yosyp Timchenko, a Ukrainian mechanic and inventor at Odesa University, constructed film projection devices and had
already successfully demonstrated films in Odesa using a camera he had developed himself. Remarkably, he achieved this three months before Edison and more than a year before the Lumiere brothers. Unfortunately, Tymchenko’s career did not flourish. Initially, he fell out of favour with the tsar, and after the revolution, the Bolsheviks labelled him a bourgeois, leading him to spend the last years of his life in poverty and obscurity.
A similar narrative nearly unfolded for Ukrainian cinematography. For over a century, every success was met with countless setbacks. Up until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, censorship stifled the creation and distribution of films that carried the national spirit and the true history of the Ukrainian people. However, even during those times dominated by an endless flow of state mandates, gems of cinematography emerged.
At that time, the first public film screenings were held in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Lviv, showcasing mostly chronicles of contemporary events. These events generated much surprise and interest, as many viewers found it difficult to comprehend the sudden movement of the previously static images typical of photographs, reflecting scenes from everyday life. Immediately after the showing of historical chronicles, feature films began to appear. The first Ukrainian feature film was shot in 1911 by Danylo Sakhnenko, who dedicated the film “Zaporozhian Sich” to the events of the mid-16th century, involving the activities of the Cossack military leader Ivan Sirko. The screen queen of those times was
Vira Kholodna, who was born in Poltava and filmed extensively in Odesa. Vira
Kholodna dedicated only four years to cinema. She starred in 50 films, though some sources suggest as many as 80, but only five of these films have survived to the present day. In such a brief period, she, a Ukrainian, became one of the most luminous movie stars of the early 20th century.
In August 1918, following the declaration of Ukraine’s independence and the formation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic headed by Pavlo Skoropadskyi, he issued an order on the Ukrainianization of cinema. To implement this, the first Ukrainian state organisation in cinema, the first film company “Ukrainfilm,” was created. During the occupation of Ukraine by the USSR, the existence of the Ukrainfilm studio was hidden in 1918-19, and Ukrainian film historians only learned more about it after the declaration of Ukraine’s independence in 1991 and the subsequent opening of access to previously closed archives.
The “Ukrainfilm” society aimed at the “wide production and distribution of ideological and national films, mainly of patriotic and historical-heroic directions.” The films “Lie” and “Black Panther” by Volodymyr Vynnychenko, as well as “Wind from the North”, “Carmelyuk”, and “Black Council” were developed under “Ukrainfilm”. Additionally, Ukrainian cinematographers favoured screen adaptations of popular Ukrainian plays, such as “Natalka Poltavka”, “Moskal-Charivnyk”, and “Naymichka”. Efforts were made to create films on Ukrainian historical themes, also based on theatrical works, like “Bohdan Khmelnytskyi”, based on the play by Mykhailo Starytskyi.
However, due to the short-lived existence of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, “Ukrainfilm” also lasted for only one year, from August 1918 to August 1919. In 1922, the All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration was established. It succeeded in rebuilding the Odesa and Yalta enterprises and the Kyiv Film Factory was launched in 1928 (the future Kyiv Film Studio named after Oleksander Dovzhenko). This period saw the creation of several silent films in Ukraine, among which Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s “Zemlya” is the most celebrated, and considered iconic by film critics of its era.
Oleksandr Dovzhenko is a distinctive artistic figure — an innovative film director, an original novelist and playwright, a nuanced lyricist and poet of the screen, and simultaneously an ardent journalist and philosopher, whose worldview encapsulated the most profound aspects of national wisdom and spirituality. As one of the pioneers of Ukrainian cinematography and a globally recognized artist, Dovzhenko’s films “Zvenyhora” (1928) and “Zemlya” (1930) played a critical role in the development of Ukrainian cinema. His contributions elevated domestic cinema to a global stature. The stylistics introduced by Dovzhenko heralded the inception of what is described as “Ukrainian poetic cinema.”
The 1930 screening of the first sound film “Symphony of Donbas,” directed by Dziga Vertov, one of the founders and theorists of documentary cinema, stands out as a significant event in Ukrainian cinematography. Vertov, a bright representative of the “Ukrainian Renaissance” in cinema, left an unforgettable mark on the industry. Over the last century, Ukrainian artists established a distinctive film school that has greatly enriched world cinema. The names of Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Sergei Parajanov, Yuri Illienko, Leonid Bykov, Ivan Mykolaychuk, Hnat Yura, Mykola Hrynko, Bohdan Stupka, and many of their talented successors will forever be etched in history.
During the Soviet occupation, Ukraine hosted a robust film production, although it predominantly produced Russian-language films for all-Union distribution. By the 1980s, the Ukrainian language was nearly completely expelled from the country’s cinema distribution; the range of cinemas in the Ukrainian SSR was almost entirely in Russian. Films produced at Ukrainian studios, even those with Ukrainian dubbing available, were mainly shown in Russian. As a result of Russification, Ukrainian cinema gradually vanished as a mass phenomenon by 1991. The production of Ukrainian-language films at the Yalta, Odesa, and Kyiv film studios ceased, with a focus shifted towards Russian-language films.
During the period of independence, Ukrainian cinema experienced the film industry’s collapse in the 1990s and efforts to revive it in the 2000s and 2010s. The regulation of Ukraine’s state policy on cinema was established on January 13, 1998, when the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the Law of Ukraine “On Cinematography.”
The situation underwent a radical change after the “Revolution of Dignity.” Since 2014, starting with the release of the first Ukrainian historical drama film, “The Guide,” by director and screenwriter Oles Sanin, Ukrainian films have begun to garner considerable box office success
in Ukrainian cinemas.
In 2018, for the first time in history, Ukrainian films were included among the top 20 highest-grossing films in Ukrainian cinema distribution at the year’s end. Increased funding has contributed to a rise in domestic cinema’s quantity and quality. Ukrainian films are frequently released nationally and win awards at various international festivals, confidently marking Ukraine’s presence on the international stage. The number of co-production and commercial projects is on the rise. Additionally, the field of film studies and criticism has seen significant growth.
On February 24 2022, Russia initiated a full-scale war against Ukraine. Prominent figures from the Ukrainian film industry have publicly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and joined the widespread call for a boycott of Russian culture. “The war has opened even more doors for Ukrainian cinema on the world stage, especially in Europe. Today, our films and projects are accessible on nearly every international platform. Many festivals feature special programs dedicated to Ukrainian films, making our cinema more accessible to an international audience,” Anna Machuh, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Film Academy and General Director of the Odesa International Film Festival, stated during a
briefing at the Ukraine Media Center on June 16, 2022.
Cinema is something that could be discussed for days. Just by mentioning the names of those who contribute to it—actors, directors, the plots, titles. Ukrainian cinema has not only existed and persevered from its very beginnings but has, against all odds, established itself, with roots that might be one of the deepest in the world. Ukrainian cinema’s journey is a testament to the enduring spirit and creativity of its people. Despite the challenges it has faced, it continues to evolve, telling stories that resonate with both national and global audiences, and contributing to the rich tapestry of world cinema.
